Some Zen Thoughts from AJ

Me: "AJ, whatcha reading?"
AJ: (who is sitting on the closed toilet, fully clothed, not going potty) "This little book."
Me: "Do you know who is on the cover?"
AJ: "Yep! Buddha!"
Me: "That's right! That book is called Coffee With The Buddha."
AJ: "Ok.... but I don't like coffee..."

So is the deep thought process of a 3yr old aspiring Buddhist!

Saying My Peace

One of the wonderful things about living in this country is enjoying the freedom of religion. The freedom to believe what I want to believe without fear of being stoned to death, burned at the stake for witchcraft, or being put in jail for heresy.  However, sometimes I think that people forget that they are intruding on someone's freedom when they impose their own religious views. Even though that person has the best of intentions, it isn't sharing (or very appealing) when the offending party is made to feel guilty, shame, or that they are just outright wrong when their views are different. I would think that this tactic would be the opposite of what your religion stands for.

When I was reading about Buddhism and their set of values, I was also really curious as to how Buddhists deal with people of other religions, especially Christians, who feel the need to "share" their religion even though the Buddhist is secure on his or her path. This response made so much sense to me, it was like a light went on in my head. Someone once asked me to come to church on Sunday with an open mind, that there was really God and that Jesus wanted me to be there. I replied, "Ok, but could you come to Buddhist Temple with me, with an open mind that there is no God, no Jesus who died for our sins, etc?" Of course not, because we each believed, on faith, that we were on the right path.

Now, that I found my path I feel a great sense of peace. Before I found Buddhism I felt like I was always searching for something, never found answers to my questions, and nothing felt "right". And even better, even though I know that I am on my right path, I feel no need to pressure others because one of the main principles is that everyone has their own path. I just wish every religion realized this. =)

Here are some interesting resources on Buddism in comparison to other religions, if anyone is interested. Namaste!

Age of Sage
Wikipedia
Comparative Religion

Etsy Finds: Buddhism Funness

I have been reading a lot of Buddhist stories and such lately so I went onto Etsy to see what cool images, jewelry, and other trinkets I could find for myself and Klint. With Father's Day coming up I am planning on giving Klint a basket of Japanese/meditation/kung fu inspired things so this was a good time to scope out some unique items for him!

clipped from www.etsy.com

This miniature Zen garden is perfect for travel -- whether you're heading far away, or just into the office. Dreading that meeting? A few quiet minutes of contemplative sand raking should sooth the nerves. Facing a major deadline? Take a moment to rearrange these tiny stone "mountains" while you reorganize your thoughts. This tiny Zen garden would be perfect on your desk, windowsill, or stashed in a pocket or purse. It comes with fine-grain sand, two tiny pebbles and a miniature rake. Entire container measures 1.5" across and .5" high.

clipped from www.etsy.com

This meditation bead bracelet consists of 21 8mm gemstone beads - red jasper, aventurine, tiger's eye, moss agate, chrysocolla, lapis lazuli, and amethyst, as well as a carnelian bead etched with the mantra 'Om Mani Padme Hum' in Tibetan script. They glow with saturated colour.

clipped from www.etsy.com

Essential oils of lavender, peppermint, rosemary, tangerine, juniper berry, cedarwood, marjoram combine in Zen, the ultimate relaxation soaking salts. This synergistic blend of essential are deeply relaxing for your sore & tired muscles. Zen works to clear your mind & auric field of stresses to create an environment of calm & serenity.

clipped from www.etsy.com

These handmade bowl features two holes and a resting divot to hold your chopsticks. I created them on my pottery wheel out of porcelain clay, cutting in the two chopstick holes and the semi-circular resting area across from the holes while the clay was soft. They are glazed glazed in a beautiful glossy robin's egg blue that complement most any food you want to serve in this bowl. Each will hold 2-3 cups of rice (or cereal, soup, ice cream, veggies, berries, etc.) and are 3.5" high x 5.25" across. The chopsticks are included with this bowl. I signed it on the bottom rim. Microwave and dishwasher safe.

clipped from www.etsy.com

The length and sound of this bamboo flute is inspired by the flutes of the ancient Shaolin Kung Fu masters who used their instruments as walking sticks, martial arts practice tools, and as simple bamboo flutes.

This 3 foot bamboo flute has a gentle, meditative, oriental voice with 1-2 octaves. Great for inner peace journeying, meditation or studio recording work. Experience nada yoga, with this design. This bamboo flute features the 4 tone hole east Orient tuning.

A Lil Zen for the Kids

We are all about being "peaceful piggies" in my house and I really enjoy finding children's books that help demonstrate those qualities that make up a peaceful mindset. One book that I found at the library was Zen Shorts by John J. Muth.

This book is one of those books that is going to be read over and over by both my girls and me. It is both charming and wise, attention grabbing and very....well Zen-like. The story is about Stillwater, a giant panda who moves into the neighborhood, bringing companionship and wisdom to two brothers and a sister. Their friendship grows while Stillwater retells three ancient Zen tales about materialism, good and bad, and what it means to hang on to anger.

What I love most is that the illustrations are gentle and soft and the stories are just as tender. Highly recomend it!

Whether one believes in a religion or not,

and whether one believes in rebirth or not,

there isn't anyone who doesn't appreciate kindness and compassion.

~Dalai Lama

Surf's Up Saturday- Kung Fu Style

Kung Fu madness has taken over my house. Pirates are sooo yesterday, no more yo ho hoing, today we are hi-yaing! We saw Kung Fu Panda and now Gabby is in the mindset that she is going to be a great kung fu master someday... it is cute until she decides to take a knee out pretending she is defeating the bad guy. =) Anyhow, I decided to go with it and delve into the world of Kung Fu and Chinese culture....Hi Ya!

Here is the movie that started it all- Kung Fu Panda. Jack Black is once again a genius and turns a story about a fat panda who loves kung fu into something that parents won't mind sitting through a couple hundred times. His voice gives the perfect character to Po and makes the story even funnier when the panda gets his rear handed to him time and again. I loved it and can't wait to watch it some more!

Next I found some super cute play food of the Chinese persusion- play felt fortune cookies from dolittledesign on Etsy. I love watching Gabby pretend to make food and really think that these not only look pretty realistic, but are very kid friendly. The creator has tons of other food to choose from too, and the prices are pretty great.

Next I wanted to look for some new origami designs since I have gotten my school age kids hooked and found this great site with sooo many cool instructions. I do not like the sites that just show pictures with some lines and a few squiggles, that is not easy to follow. This site tells what you are supposed to do as well as providing some video instructions. I am definitely going to try this lotus blossom for my meditation area. Come try some Origami Fun!

Finally I was looking at horoscopes and came upon Wikpedia's definition of Chinese astrology. It really surprised me how in depth it was. I discovered that I am not a rooster but a monkey, which puts a whole new spin on things. I had no clue that there was so many specifics about the horoscopes! Take a look at your horoscope and see if yours is as accurate as mine! How interesting that metal is ruled by Venus and is associated with gold which is my only allergy....

Well that is that... I leave you with this:

Justice for all in the world

Thought of the day

Do not believe in anything (simply) because you have heard it. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. Do not believe in anything because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe anything simply because it is written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. But after observation and analysis when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conductive to the good and benefit of one and all then accept it and live up to it.
~Anguttara Nikaya I, p.188. PTS Edition

A Little Bit of Faith

From suffering comes great compassion. Great compassion makes a peaceful heart. A peaceful heart makes a peaceful person. A peaceful person makes a peaceful family. A peaceful family makes a peaceful community. A peaceful community makes a peaceful nation. A peaceful nation makes a peaceful world. ~Venerable Maha Ghosananda, the Supreme Patriarch of Cambodia, to Cambodians on the genocide of the Khmer Rouge

Now that I am home and not working full time I have had a chance to being meditating again. This is something that I did a lot in college when things got stressful or I just needed to find my center again. I have begun reading some great articles on Buddhism and am trying to right myself after getting so far off the path of enlightenment. Gabby is very interested in meditating with me and learning about Buddha. We read a great book called Peaceful Piggies by Kerry Lee Maclean that explains meditation to kids in a very easy and fun way. One of my goals for the summer is to meditate daily and to have a more mindful acceptance of the present.

My house is a bi-faith household which confuses a lot of people. My husband is Christian, was raised Christian, and his family is pretty religious. My family was the opposite with little instruction outside of a Catholic baptism and First Holy Communion. During high school and especially college I was exposed to a lot of other walks of faith and naturally gravitated toward Buddhism and other Eastern religions. The concepts of karma, rebirth, and most importantly zen appealed to me and left me with a very calm and peaceful state of mind, so that is the path that I chose. I never felt the need to question or dissect the values- it was what it was.

I am excited to continue learning about Buddhism and how to incorporate the concepts into my daily life. Even though I differ from all of my friends in this, I have faith that I am on the right path just as they have faith that they are on the path meant for them. (Although I did have an interesting conversation with Klint about Yoda versus Buddha!)

Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule.